Vail Valley: Nothing really matters

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Sometimes it is easy to become overwhelmed with everything - our families, friends, job, school, and all of our stuff and all of our activities - that we forget to find time for a little "nothing."

Obviously "nothing" is not a four letter word and it is not even a bad word. Sometimes we can all use a little "nothing" in our lives to balance out the hectic pace, madness, and maybe even a little of the drama that may be consuming us or that has crept into our world at the moment.

Finding times to be quiet and allow "nothing" to invade our mind or our space could be really healthy at times.

I know that some of you may be reading this laughing and saying that there is no way to find time to do "nothing," and if I only knew just how much madness and pressure you face each day it would be ridiculous to even propose such a thing. And that would be exactly why I am recommending that you find some time to do "nothing."

Now when I say find the time to do "nothing," I am in no way suggesting that become our complete lifestyle. Finding time for "nothing" could mean just a few minutes each day. Maybe it's even the start to our day or found at the end of a busy day where we can decompress and allow the enjoyment of "nothing" to take over. For some folks the need for "nothingness" could happen in the middle of the day as an escape.

I am not sure about you, but when I actually practice this principle of "nothing," my world comes back into perspective, I find my center, experience peace, and in some way I am actually able to accomplish more than when I am in full on scramble mode. And in those quiet moments of my "nothing" I also seem to hear so much more from my heart and my head that brings clarity, less worry, and comfort to what may be happening around me. My nothingness-filled moments oddly enough also inspire and motivate me, even spark my creativity.

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to do "nothing?" Was it a quiet moment found somewhere in your home or office? Maybe you enjoyed a few minutes of "nothingness" outside during a walk or hike. There is actually a spot that I ski to sometimes in the trees where hardly anyone else ever goes, I stop and surrounded by the aspens and pine trees, in the stillness of the mountain, I take a few minutes of doing "nothing."

Again, "nothing" really does matter when taken in the right context. Not the sluggard or sloth type associated with laziness, but rather the freeing, energizing, and yet restful form of "nothingness" that helps us to get back to where we really want to be or need to be in our life.

I would love to hear your thoughts on doing "nothing" at gotonorton@gmail.com and maybe our week filled with a few moments of "nothing" will lead us to having a better than good week.

Michael Norton is a strategic consultant, business and personal coach and motivational speaker, and CEO of www.candogo.com. He writes a weekly motivational column for the Vail Daily.